schooltool-developers team mailing list archive

[Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>]

Try it again?

--Tom

On Mon, Jun 7, 2010 at 9:42 AM, David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi Alan,
>
> Is Launchpad up now? I tried installing today and got this error;
>
> david@ubuntupc:~/sandbox$ sudo bzr branch lp:cando
> [sudo] password for david:
> bzr: ERROR: Connection error: Couldn't resolve host
> 'xmlrpc.edge.launchpad.net' [Errno -2] Name or service not known
>
> Regards!
>
> David
>
> ________________________________
> From: Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>; SchoolTool Developers
> <schooltool-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thu, June 3, 2010 7:03:44 PM
> Subject: Re: Welcome to the SchoolTool Grant/Pilot Project
>
> What's the timeframe at this point for a CanDo .deb that works for
> Lucid?  What are the remaining steps?  I don't want David to be
> mucking around with these source packages.
>
> --Tom
>
> On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 8:25 AM, David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Hi Alan,
>>
>> Yes, I have been traveling a lot and the other stakeholders on the project
>> have also not been much around, I have been to NIEPA several times between
>> my last email and now. We are doing the ground work first before the
>> getting
>> the final management stakeholders requirements finalize. I'm running lucid
>> now.
>>
>> I tried installing from bzr but I ran into this problem;
>>
>> david@ubuntupc:~/sandbox$ bzr branch lp:~aelkner/cando/lucid_release cando
>> ssh: connect to host bazaar.launchpad.net port 22: Connection timed out
>> bzr: ERROR: Connection closed: Unexpected end of message. Please check
>> connectivity and permissions, and report a bug if problems persist.
>>
>> I guess this is more of configuration on LP problem, so please guide me.
>>
>> There would be a broader stakeholders' meeting anytime from 12th June, and
>> I
>> need to test things before then.
>>
>> David
>> ________________________________
>> From: Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx>
>> To: Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>> Cc: David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>; Justas Sadzevicius <justas@xxxxxx>;
>> Gediminas Paulauskas <menesis@xxxxxx>
>> Sent: Tue, May 11, 2010 1:36:23 AM
>> Subject: Re: Welcome to the SchoolTool Grant/Pilot Project
>>
>> David,
>>
>> Tom makes a good point about getting the new version to you faster by
>> way of bzr checkout.  Please follow these instructions and let me know
>> if you have any problems:
>>
>> 1) Pick a directory as the parent directory of the checkout.  I'll
>> assume you picked ~/sandbox.
>>
>> cd
>> mkdir sandbox
>> cd sandbox
>> bzr branch lp:~aelkner/cando/lucid_release cando
>> cd cando
>> sudo make ubuntu-environment
>> make
>> make run
>>
>> 2) If everything goes well, you should have an instance of cando
>> running on port 7080.  If not please let me know.
>>
>> Let me know ow it turns out either way,
>> Alan
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, May 10, 2010 at 5:27 PM, Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>> wrote:
>>> Just to try to sum this up...
>>>
>>> In the immediate term David just needs some kind of instructions to
>>> get a demo going -- bzr checkout, whatever we can get working,
>>> preferably with current CanDo and up to date SchoolTool.
>>>
>>> David, in the longer run, we'll want your schools to be using Ubuntu
>>> packages on Lucid and then Maverick.  Those are the target platforms.
>>>
>>> --Tom
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 10, 2010 at 6:13 AM, David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>> Alan,
>>>>
>>>> Ok, i just confirmed that 10.4 is LTS release, sorry for my
>>>> misinformation.
>>>> So, give me the instructions on how to carry out the installation, I can
>>>> install from svn repos.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> David
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ________________________________
>>>> From: Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>> To: Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>> Cc: David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>; Justas Sadzevicius
>>>> <justas@xxxxxx>;
>>>> Gediminas Paulauskas <menesis@xxxxxx>
>>>> Sent: Mon, May 10, 2010 5:13:12 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: Welcome to the SchoolTool Grant/Pilot Project
>>>>
>>>> David,
>>>>
>>>> I got cando to work with the latest scholtool on lucid.  I know you
>>>> are urgently waiting for the debian package for your proposal, so I
>>>> will advise you as soon as that last step has been completed by our
>>>> packaging team which should be very soon.
>>>>
>>>> I'll keep you informed day by day,
>>>> Alan
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 5:29 PM, Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>> Will do, and I'll report my findings to the developers mailing list
>>>>> tonight.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 2:07 PM, Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> Alan,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Can you test CanDo with the latest SchoolTool?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --Tom
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 1:15 PM, Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>>>> David,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It's true that CanDo is dependent on an older version of schooltool.
>>>>>>> I will confer with our team to see what it would take to get it to
>>>>>>> use
>>>>>>> a newer version.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>> Alan
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 6:16 AM, David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Hi Allan, and team members,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I just read the several emails, I have been on trips and was only
>>>>>>>> able
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>> glance at emails. I'm due in NIEPA next week to finalize what
>>>>>>>> initial
>>>>>>>> deployment of SchoolTool and other frameworks should be. But I
>>>>>>>> recently
>>>>>>>> tried installing the combined latest SchoolTool and Cando with no
>>>>>>>> success,
>>>>>>>> however, I was able to install Cando from svn repository, meanining
>>>>>>>> an
>>>>>>>> older
>>>>>>>> version of SchoolTool, Alan, please how do I get this done using the
>>>>>>>> latest
>>>>>>>> version of SchoolTool? I need this for final presentation to
>>>>>>>> management
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> team at NIEPA for final decision on scope for the phase I
>>>>>>>> deployment.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Other issues would be communicated to the group after my
>>>>>>>> presentations.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thank you!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> David
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> ________________________________
>>>>>>>> From: Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>>> To: Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>>> Cc: gonzaloportal56@xxxxxxxxx; sis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; David Ally
>>>>>>>> <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>; Douglas Cerna <douglascerna@xxxxxxxxx>; Jen
>>>>>>>> Overgaag
>>>>>>>> <jovergaag@xxxxxxxxx>; shadoschools shadoschools
>>>>>>>> <shadoschools@xxxxxxxxx>;
>>>>>>>> Justas Sadzevicius <justas@xxxxxx>; Gediminas Paulauskas
>>>>>>>> <menesis@xxxxxx>
>>>>>>>> Sent: Tue, May 4, 2010 10:27:51 PM
>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: Welcome to the SchoolTool Grant/Pilot Project
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I just wanted to briefly add to Tom's introduction of myself.  I've
>>>>>>>> been a software developer for over twenty years now, working on
>>>>>>>> technologies ranging from assembly language on the IBM mainframe to
>>>>>>>> Microsoft Visual Studio C++ and Basic.  For the last five years, my
>>>>>>>> work has been with the Python programming language and, more
>>>>>>>> recently,
>>>>>>>> the Zope 3 web development platform and SchoolTool.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I must say that being a part of the SchoolTool project, developing
>>>>>>>> software that benefits the world at large, is a welcome change from
>>>>>>>> developing software that merely makes profits for one company.  I
>>>>>>>> look
>>>>>>>> forward to working with you all on the three grants that have been
>>>>>>>> assigned to me.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Please feel free to contact me at any time no matter what the
>>>>>>>> question.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --Alan Elkner
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 10:27 PM, Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Today marks the official beginning of the 2010 SchoolTool
>>>>>>>>> development
>>>>>>>>> grant cycle.  I thought I should start with an overview of what I
>>>>>>>>> anticipating happening next and brief introductions.  Apologies for
>>>>>>>>> the length of this email.  It is probably the longest you'll get
>>>>>>>>> from
>>>>>>>>> me.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> In particular this email is directed at the schools who are working
>>>>>>>>> with our developer Alan Elkner, that is, Mpelembe Secondary School
>>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>>> Kitwe, Zambia, Sulaimon Shado Schools in Lagos Nigeria, and the
>>>>>>>>> National Institiute for Educational Planning and Administration
>>>>>>>>> (NIEPA), Ondo State, Nigeria.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I'll introduce myself and briefly introduce the other players and
>>>>>>>>> what
>>>>>>>>> our plans are for each.  I'm doing this in part to give you a
>>>>>>>>> chance
>>>>>>>>> to correct my understandings of who you are all, so feel free to
>>>>>>>>> expand on this in a response and don't hesitate to correct me!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Tom Hoffman -- Managing the SchoolTool project has been my full
>>>>>>>>> time
>>>>>>>>> job for over five years.  A lot longer than I thought it would take
>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>> get this far, to be honest, but Mark Shuttleworth and I were
>>>>>>>>> willing
>>>>>>>>> to see the project through some initial setbacks, and basically
>>>>>>>>> re-making many of the classic mistakes in software development, and
>>>>>>>>> we
>>>>>>>>> both feel SchoolTool is on the verge of taking off and helping many
>>>>>>>>> schools around the world save money, run more efficiently and
>>>>>>>>> better
>>>>>>>>> educate their students.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I gradually migrated from teaching to my current role.  I have a
>>>>>>>>> Masters of Arts in Teaching English from Brown University, I taught
>>>>>>>>> English in the Providence Public Schools for two years, then helped
>>>>>>>>> design a small high school in Providence where I served as a
>>>>>>>>> technology coordinator, then, when that position was eliminated by
>>>>>>>>> budget cuts, found myself working on SchoolTool, to which I had
>>>>>>>>> made
>>>>>>>>> some volunteer contributions.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I live with my wife and two daughters, aged 1 and 3, in Providence,
>>>>>>>>> Rhode Island, which is not an island but a state on the east coast
>>>>>>>>> between Boston and New York.  I blog at http://tuttlesvc.org
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Alan Elkner has been a full time SchoolTool developer for over two
>>>>>>>>> years, and volunteered before that.  He has worked on the CanDo
>>>>>>>>> competency tracking component, the gradebook, and developed the
>>>>>>>>> Intervention package with Science Leadership Academy in
>>>>>>>>> Philadelphia.
>>>>>>>>> He lives outside Philadelphia in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Mpelembe Secondary School is a technical high school in Kitwe,
>>>>>>>>> Zambia.
>>>>>>>>>  They're a leader in the use of ICT in Zambian schools,
>>>>>>>>> particularly
>>>>>>>>> through their participation in the ENEDCO project -- Enhancing the
>>>>>>>>> Visual and Presentation of Educational Content.  Gonzalo Portal is
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> ENEDCO project leader, Jennifer Overgaag is a volunteer (from the
>>>>>>>>> US?)
>>>>>>>>> working with the school on IT, and Peter Walinkonde is a full time
>>>>>>>>> IT
>>>>>>>>> administrator for the school.  They're currently managing the
>>>>>>>>> school
>>>>>>>>> on paper and with spreadsheets.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Sulaimon Shado Schools is a... actually, I'm not 100% sure, is
>>>>>>>>> there
>>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>>> primary and secondary school and a small college, or just primary
>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>> secondary schools? ... located in Lagos, Nigeria.  Their deployment
>>>>>>>>> will also be supported by a local firm, PeopleSoft Technologies.
>>>>>>>>>  They
>>>>>>>>> have actually been using a different open source SIS, FocusSIS, so
>>>>>>>>> this gives us an opportunity to work on a migration.  Hajia Taiwo
>>>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>>>> the school principal and Balogun Kazeem is our contact at
>>>>>>>>> PeopleSoft.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> At NIEPA, we have an opportunity to integrate SchoolTool into the
>>>>>>>>> process of training school administrators in Nigeria, an exciting
>>>>>>>>> possibility.  Especially if we can successfully promote that work
>>>>>>>>> through their connections at UNESCO and UNICEF.  Our contact here
>>>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>>>> David Ally, a local consultant for Techno-Science Ltd.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> So, as you can see we have three schools and one developer.  We
>>>>>>>>> have
>>>>>>>>> three months before instances need to be set up and teachers
>>>>>>>>> starting
>>>>>>>>> to be trained at Mpelembe and Shado Schools.  The timeline is less
>>>>>>>>> distinct so far at NIEPA.  Probably we still need to find a
>>>>>>>>> specific
>>>>>>>>> school to act as a site for them.  David is still working out the
>>>>>>>>> details.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Early on, the pattern will be to focus on one school at a time for
>>>>>>>>> perhaps two week intervals, probably repeating each step with each
>>>>>>>>> school.  Get Mpelembe's data imported, get Shado's data imported,
>>>>>>>>> etc.
>>>>>>>>>  I do want to start with trying to import Mpelembe data from the
>>>>>>>>> FET
>>>>>>>>> open source timetable generation software -- they've provided us
>>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>>> an XML export.  Alan started looking at that today.  We'll put a
>>>>>>>>> week
>>>>>>>>> into that and then evaluate how much longer it might take an
>>>>>>>>> prioritize from there.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> In terms of the time alloted in the grant award, we may end up
>>>>>>>>> spending more time than was estimated/budgeted.  Those are not hard
>>>>>>>>> limits.  If Alan ends up working with the three of you for the rest
>>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> the year, and other developers have to chip in some help, but these
>>>>>>>>> pilots are a success, I'll be happy.  I'll be ecstatic if we get
>>>>>>>>> done
>>>>>>>>> with time left over, but the point is, we're not going to say
>>>>>>>>> "times
>>>>>>>>> up" at the end of August and walk away.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> However, by January 2011 we'll want to focus elsewhere so we should
>>>>>>>>> all try to expose and fix as many problems as possible before the
>>>>>>>>> end
>>>>>>>>> of the year.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> We will also try to prioritize such that we take care of the things
>>>>>>>>> that have to be ready to start school first.  We may push back
>>>>>>>>> things
>>>>>>>>> like end of year reporting requirements that aren't required until,
>>>>>>>>> well, the end of the year.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Communication:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> * When you're emailing Alan or me, please cc: the other so we both
>>>>>>>>> know what is going on.  I'm not sure if it will make sense to
>>>>>>>>> create
>>>>>>>>> one or more mailing lists to make sure all the right people are
>>>>>>>>> getting relevant mails.  We'll see how that develops.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> * If you are comfortable using IRC, we do have a chat channel on
>>>>>>>>> freenode.net.  We have a weekly staff meeting there Mondays at
>>>>>>>>> 1330.
>>>>>>>>> The channel is logged here:  http://schooltool.pov.lt/irclogs/
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> * We use Launchpad for most administrative tasks, particularly
>>>>>>>>> tracking bugs.  If possible we'd like to have you entering bugs
>>>>>>>>> directly (rather than sending us emails and having us copy them
>>>>>>>>> into
>>>>>>>>> the bug tracker), but we can do it either way.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> * If you prefer a certain mode of text, audio or video chat, let me
>>>>>>>>> know.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> That should be enough for starters!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Looking forward to working with you.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> --Tom Hoffman
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>